moneymusic.com

On March 31,1958 a Rock and Roll anthem is released but it took a lyric change to make it one great classic. The line originally read “There lived a colored boy named Johnny B Goode.” The line you hear on Chuck Berry’s record is “There lived a country boy named Johnny B Goode.” The original 45 on Chess records can fetch $40.00. The 78 version is worth up to $200.00 today.

The Addams Family was only on TV for 2 years (1964-1966) but its star still shines bright in TV history. In 1964, RCA released the soundtrack album featuring such tunes as “Uncle Festus’ Blues,” “On Shroud #9,” “Hide and Shriek,” and “One Little, Two Little, Three Little Tombstones.” An original copy of “The Addams Family” soundtrack can sell for $150.00 today. “The Addams Family” is just one of the 10,000 soundtracks listed on our Soundtracks Flash drive, covering movies, TV shows, and Broadway shows. It’s available in the left hand column.

Without a doubt one of the founding fathers of 1950’s Rock N Roll was Big Joe Turner. Standing at 6’2’’ and weighing over 300 lbs., he was a force to be reckoned with when in 1954 he unleashed on an unsuspecting world the classic, “Shake, Rattle, and Roll,” with its risqué lyrics and unrelenting beat. The 45 on Atlantic Records can now sell for $200.00. In 1987 Big Joe was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1956 Atlantic Records released his debut album, “Boss of the Blues.” An original copy can get you $350.00 today.

Promo copies sent to radio stations can often be worth much more than the regular copies sold in stores. In 1970, Motown sent radio stations gold vinyl copies of “ABC” by the Jackson 5 in a sleeve that indicated that “ABC” had reached gold status faster than any record in the history of Motown. The promo gold vinyl single is worth up to $250.00 today. Add up to another $250.00 for the sleeve as seen here.

Promo records are those sent to radio stations, usually with the words “Not For Sale” or “Promotional Copy” printed on the label. Promos can often be worth a lot more than the regular copies sold in stores. “Mighty John’s Promo Records Guide” on a flash drive lists the values for all promo copies that are worth more than regular copies. You can see more samples and order the guide by clicking “Mighty John’s Promo Guide” in the yellow strip above.

Three years prior to her death, Jazz great Billie Holiday, also known as Lady Day, released her 10^th and final album for Clef Records. The title song, “Lady Sings the Blues,” has become an American standard. And if there was any lady who really knew, lived, and sang the Blues it was Billie Holiday. “Lady Sings the Blues” is also the title of her autobiography. The album, released on Verve Records in 1956, can get you $300.00 today. Her 1954 album, “An Evening with Billie Holiday,” on Clef Records is now worth up to $750.00

“Are You Experienced” was the debut album for Jimi Hendrix and featured the Rock classic, “Purple Haze.” Rolling Stone magazine lists “Are You Experienced” at #15 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Released on Reprise Records, a stereo copy with a label that’s green, pink, and brown as seen here, is worth up to $150.00. A copy in mono with a green,pink and brown label can sell for up to $1,000.00 today.

Following the breakup of the Beatles, George Harrison released his first solo album, “All Things Must Pass.” Produced by the legendary Phil Spector, the album contains two of Harrison’s biggest hits, “What is Life” and “My Sweet Lord.”  The “My Sweet Lord” 45 with picture sleeve can now sell for $50.00. The “All Things Must Pass” album cover, showing Harrison sitting among scattered garden gnomes, is a reflection of his break from the Beatles. Issued by Apple Records, the 3-record set is worth up to $100.00 today.

On March 24,1966, the Beatles pose for the cover of their next album. The picture shows the Beatles dressed at butchers holding chopped up dolls and raw meat. After much objection, the album is re called and re issued with a non-controversial cover. The album is called “Yesterday and Today.” 1966 stereo copies with the cover showing the Beatles gathered around a trunk are worth up to $150.00, mono copies up to $300.00. Original 1966 mono copies with the “butcher” cover currently hold a value up to $5,000.00 while stereo versions are worth up to $15,000.00, although 3 have sold for $25,000.00 each.

The EP, extended play album, is the size of a 45, usually with 2 or 3 songs on each side. Many can be quite valuable, especially by the Doo Wop groups of the 50’s. The Platters’ EP, “The Platters Sing for Only You,” released by Federal Records in 1956, and the Flamingos’ EP, “Goodnight Sweetheart,” released by End Records in 1959, can each get you $600.00 today.

The second album for England’s Pink Floyd, “A Saucerful of Secrets,” came in the summer of ’68. It was the last album for Sid Barrett and the first for David Gilmour. Released by Tower Records, the value depends on the color of the record label. A striped label makes the album worth up to $100.00, but a copy with an orange label, as seen here, can sell for $300.00 today.